Heat present litmus test for Jeremy Lin, Knicks

He has been a boon for the league, a savior for the Knicks, a conundrum for Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, and even a focal point of a national discussion on Asian-American stereotypes. These are all fascinating topics of discussion, but let’s face it, what NBA fans really want to know is this: What real impact will Lin and the new-look Knicks have on the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture?

MORE NBA COVERAGE

That’s still hard to say, seeing as the Knicks have posted some impressive wins (Mavericks, Lakers) and two disappointing losses (Hornets, Nets), while now confronting the task of fitting new rotation players—Anthony, Baron Davis and J.R. Smith—into the Lin game plan. But today, the Knicks will take on the most relevant challenge they have faced to date when it comes to finding out how they stack up against the elite—they play the Heat, winners of seven straight.

Lin is the main reason the Heat’s winning streak has not been grabbing the NBA headlines. But put these teams together on national television, and the Nielsen ticker could go haywire.

“It’s going to be fun,” Heat star LeBron James said. “It’s going to be electrifying. ... It could be one of the most-watched games that we’ve had in a long time.”

— FLY THROUGH, FLY AROUND, FLY OVER: Melo, CP3 and D-Wade

That’s saying something, considering that the Heat trio of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh helped cable networks rewrite their ratings record books last season. As good as the defending East champs were last year, though, they appear to be even better this year, especially lately.

To start the season, the Heat came out with a blitzing offense that took advantage of turnovers and was impeccable in the fast break. Miami struggled some when Wade was dealing with injuries and when playing against zone defenses, but Wade was given two weeks off and has returned healthy. Additionally, the more the Heat have faced zone defenses, the better they have gotten against them. Case in point: Miami sliced up Sacramento’s zone on Tuesday for 120 points. The Heat have averaged 107.6 points per game during their seven-game winning streak.

“It’s getting harder and harder to find ways to stop them,” one Eastern Conference scout said. “They’ve always been killers on the break. But now in the halfcourt, they’re so much better. LeBron is really focusing on posting up. Wade is explosive again, and he has the midrange shots going. Bosh has been great at just finding ways to fill in the gaps. And they have good role players. Offensively, everything is working.”

And for all the focus on how the Knicks will work offensively with their new and returning players, getting the defense right probably will be a bigger challenge—New York let Nets point guard Deron Williams go for 38 points in Monday’s loss, after all. The Heat figure to expose the Knicks defense and, in doing so, could provide a reality check on what this team’s ceiling is.

One thing’s for sure, millions will be watching.